HAVING won 2013’s gruelling 24 Hours Nürburgring event for Mercedes, the Dubai 24 Hour race and as favourite to clinch the 2013 Porsche Supercup Sean Edwards was on the cusp of making it big in international motor racing.

PUBLISHED: 00:01, Sat, Oct 19, 2013

TRACK TRAGDEY: Edwards had both talent and potential [PA]

Fans believed this was to be the talented driver’s breakthrough year, which adds to the poignancy of his death, the second this month to shake the motor-racing world. It follows that of Maria de Villota, who died from injuries sustained in a crash last year.

Edwards died instantly when the Porsche 996, in which he was a passenger mentoring another driver, smashed into the racetrack wall and burst into flames at Queensland Raceway in Australia. The driver, who was stuck in the car for more than two hours, was taken to hospital with severe injuries and burns.

Born in London, Sean Edwards was the son of former Formula One driver Guy Edwards, who in 1976 was awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal for pulling racing legend Niki Lauda from his burning Ferrari at the Nürburgring during the German Grand Prix.

From the age of three, when he learned to drive go-karts at an indoor track in Battersea, it was clear ­racing was in his blood. His dyslexia made studying hard for him and his mother Daphne believes the track gave him focus. His sister Jade described his passion as an “addiction”.

For a while the family were based in Monaco but moved back to the UK in 2001 where Edwards attended Wellington College and Cherwell College in Oxford.

He started his career in Formula Ford in 2003 and went on to compete in Formula Renault UK, British Grand Touring (GT) and the FIA GT3 Championship, which he won in 2006. His Porsche Supercup career began two years later when he was named most successful rookie of the year, securing fifth place in the solo championship. His team, Konrad Motorsport, won the team title.

CELEBRATIONS: Edward was favourited to win 2013 Porsche Supercup [PA]

For someone so young to lose his life in such tragic circumstances is really terrible

David Coulthard

In an interview at that time Edwards spoke of his hopes of ­following in his father’s footsteps: “From when I was young, my aim was to get to Formula One like my dad. Unless you get picked up it’s impossible to get money together. I took the realistic road by going into GT and who knows where it will lead. There’s always a chance.”

More recently Edwards was seen on the big screen. He played his father in some racing scenes in Ron Howard’s film Rush, a dramatisation of the fierce rivalry between Lauda and British driver James Hunt.

Just before cameras started to roll last May he tweeted: “I’m playing my dad Guy today, how cool is that? Got his car, suit and helmet on.”

Edwards was mentoring another driver at the time of the fatal collision [SWNS]

Leading the tributes, former McLaren driver and F1 pundit David Coulthard said: “Motor racing is a very tight-knit community and although Sean was racing in the ­Porsche Supercup in touring cars it’s really shocked all those in single seaters.

“For someone so young, who was having such a great season in motor racing, having worked very hard to establish himself as a professional driver, to lose his life in such tragic circumstances is really terrible.”